Recipes from the Cover

Wednesday

Apr 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMApr 29, 2009 at 12:18 PM

FROM THE COVER

HAPPY PLANET COOKIES

Makes about 24 cookies

This recipe, from Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent (Wiley, $24.95), conserves energy by not preheating the oven and turning the oven off before the cookies are completely done, allowing them to finish cooking in the residual heat.

The dough can also be stirred by hand, which means no electricity is needed for a mixer.

1 cup whole-wheat flour (preferably stone-ground)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 cup canola or peanut oil

1 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar (see Note)

1 large egg (preferably organic)

1 tablespoon apple butter

11/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

41/2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cayenne, if using, in a medium bowl.

Whisk oil and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg, apple butter and vanilla until smooth.

Stir the flour mixture into the oil mixture until blended. Stir in oats and chocolate (batter will be thick).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets, making 12 cookies on each sheet.

Place baking sheets in the oven. Turn the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake until the cookies just start to spread into a cookie shape but are still undercooked, about 10 to 12 minutes.

As quickly as possible (so too much heat doesn't escape), open the oven door and swap the trays -- move the tray on the top rack to the bottom rack and bottom rack to the top. Close the oven and turn it off.

Let the cookies continue to bake in the oven to the desired level of brownness and crispness, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer the sheets to racks to cool.

Note: Turbinado and Demerara sugar are available at natural foods stores and gourmet grocers.